Question

Xylem transports _____ and _____from soil.
A. Minerals, starch
B. Water, minerals
C. Starch, oil
D. Oil, protein

Answer 1

Hint: Plants have two types of transport tissues: xylem and phloem. Xylem moves water from roots to the leaves whereas phloem moves food from the leaves to the rest part of the plant.

Complete answer:
Xylem transports minerals from the soil to the upper parts of the plants. But starch is the food reserve for the plants. When glucose is produced by the process of photosynthesis, it is transported to the other parts of the plant by phloem. The excess glucose is then stored in the form of starch in different regions of the plants such as roots, stem, fruit, etc. Hence, ‘option A’ is incorrect.
Xylem helps to transport water and minerals from the soil to the rest part of the plant. During transportation, water evaporates from the leaves and draws water and minerals from the soil through roots. Hence, ‘option B’ is correct.
Starch is the food reserve for the plants. When glucose is produced by the process of photosynthesis, it is transported to the other parts of the plant by phloem. The excess glucose is then stored in the form of starch in different regions of the plants such as roots, stem, fruit, etc. Oil is generally high energy reserved food. It provides nutrition to the germinating seed. They are mostly found in the seeds but occasionally in the fleshy part of the fruits. Hence, ‘option C’ is incorrect.
Oil is generally high energy reserved food. It provides nutrition to the germinating seed. They are mostly found in the seeds but occasionally in the fleshy part of the fruits. Proteins are generally present inside the plant cells. They help in the growth and development of embryos and vegetative cells.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Additional information:
Plants absorb water and minerals by the roots. These roots have root hairs. They increase the surface area of the root for the absorption of water and mineral salts dissolved in water. Root pressure, cohesive forces and transpiration all act together to transport water and minerals. No energy is used in the process.
-Root pressure is the osmotic pressure which is produced in the xylem cells of the root system that allows the upward movement of water.
-Cohesive forces and transpiration: The water in the leaves is lost to the atmosphere in the
form of water vapour through stomata which creates a pressure gradient. This process is known as transpiration. Water moves up the xylem from the roots from higher pressure areas in the roots to the lower pressure areas in the leaves.

Note: Water is very necessary for the plants. It is the main ingredient for photosynthesis. It also helps to maintain the turbidity of the cells. It also helps the plant to cool down by the process of transpiration. It also provides mineral salts in the dissolved form.